Image forming apparatus

ABSTRACT

An image forming apparatus includes a cover member that is capable of being opened and closed, wherein the cover member includes a discharge tray that is capable of holding printed recording medium, and an automatic document reader that is provided above the discharge tray, wherein when the cover member is opened to a predetermined position, the automatic document reader supports the printed recording medium placed on the discharge tray so that the printed recording medium does not fall therefrom when the cover member is open.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 11/061,527 filed Feb. 22,2005, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No.2004-064394, filed Mar. 8, 2004, the subject matter of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus of amultifunctional machine having a printing function, a copying function,a scanning function and a facsimile function.

Conventionally, in a printer of a multifunctional machine having aprinting function, a copying function, a scanning function and afacsimile function, for the sake of saving installation space for theprinter, a sheet discharge tray is often provided at a top of theprinter. For example, in a tandem-type laser beam printer, a rotatablelid is provided at a top of the printer. In the printer, the lid is opento replace consumable supplies, such as developing units, or clear apaper jam.

SUMMARY

However, if the lid of the printer is open while printed sheets areplaced on the sheet discharge tray, the printed sheets fall from thesheet discharge tray. Therefore, the printed sheets need to betemporarily removed from the sheet discharge tray every time the lid ofthe printer is open.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-8132 discloses an image formingapparatus including a sheet support mechanism which supports printedsheets placed on a sheet discharge tray so as not to fall therefrom whena lid of the image forming apparatus is open. However, in the imageforming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No.4-8132, the sheet support mechanism includes a lever, a cam and a springwhich are separately provided in an upper box of the image formingapparatus. If such a sheet support mechanism is adopted in a printer,the structure of the printer will be complicated and a parts count willbe increased.

The disclosure provides, among other things, an image forming apparatusthat includes a simple sheet support device which prevents printedsheets from falling off a sheet discharge tray of a body casingtherefrom, wherein the sheets printed in the body casing are dischargedto a top of the body casing.

According to one exemplary aspect of disclosure, an image formingapparatus includes a cover member that is capable of being opened andclosed, wherein the cover member includes a discharge tray that iscapable of holding printed recording medium, and an automatic documentreader that is provided above the discharge tray, wherein when the covermember is opened to a predetermined position, the automatic documentreader supports the printed recording medium placed on the dischargetray so that the printed recording medium does not fall therefrom whenthe cover member is open

According to one exemplary aspect of disclosure, an image formingapparatus includes a body that stores therein an image forming portion,a cover member that is attached to the body at a first end of the covermember and is capable of being opened and closed by rotating about thefirst end, wherein the cover member includes a discharge tray that iscapable of holding printed recording medium, and an automatic documentreader that is provided above the discharge tray and attached to thecover member at the first end of the cover member, wherein the automaticdocument reader extends from the first end and covers a part of thedischarge tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail withreference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a color printer having a scanningfunction according to an exemplary embodiment of an image formingapparatus of the disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a side view showing essential parts of the color printer ofFIG. 1, wherein an upper cover is closed;

FIG. 2B is a side view showing essential parts of the color printer ofFIG. 1, wherein the upper cover is open;

FIGS. 3A and 3B represent a color printer according to an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure;

FIGS. 4A and 4B represent a color printer according to an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure;

FIGS. 5A and 5B represent a color printer according to an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure;

FIGS. 6A and 6B represent a color printer according to an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure;

FIGS. 7A and 7B represent a color printer according to an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure;

FIGS. 8A and 8B represent a color printer according to an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a document discharge tray; and

FIG. 10 represents a color printer according to an exemplary embodimentof the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a colorprinter 1 having a scanning function, as an image forming apparatus,according to a first exemplary embodiment.

In the exemplary embodiments described below, a document is insertedfrom the left and is conveyed to the right in FIG. 1. A sheet isdischarged from the color printer 1 to the right in FIG. 1. A useroperates the color printer 1 from the right in FIG. 1. Throughout thespecification, the upper side in FIG. 1 is referred to as an upper sideof the color printer 1. The lower side in FIG. 1 is referred to as alower side of the color printer 1. The near side in FIG. 1 is referredto as the left side of the color printer 1. The far side in FIG. 1,which is an opposite side to the near side, is referred to as the rightside of the color printer 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the color printer 1 includes a printing device 4 andan automatic document reader 20. At a top of the printing device 4, anupper cover 6 is provided. The upper cover 6 has a cover shaft 8 on anupstream side in a document conveying direction. The upper cover 6rotates about the cover shaft 8 to be opened and closed. To open theupper cover 6, a cover handle 7, which is provided to the upper cover 6on a downstream side in a sheet discharge direction, is pulled upward. Aprinted sheet discharge tray 9 is provided as a part of the upper cover6. The automatic document reader 20 is provided on a cover top face 6 aof the upper cover 6, that is, above the sheet discharge tray 9.

At a bottom of the printing device 4, a sheet feed cassette 19 isprovided in order to store sheets 3 therein. The sheet feed cassette 19is detachably attachable to a body casing 2 of the color printer 1 froma side which is the same as the downstream side in the sheet dischargedirection.

The automatic document reader 20 includes at least a document feed tray21, a document discharge tray 22 having a tip 22 a, and a documentreading portion 23. The document reading portion 23 is provided betweenthe document feed tray 21 and the document discharge tray 22. Thedocument reading portion 23 is a feeder-type reading portion that readsa document while the document is being conveyed with respect to a fixedreading sensor (an optical sensor).

FIGS. 2A and 2B are side views showing essential parts of the colorprinter 1 of FIG. 1. FIG. 2A illustrates the color printer 1 with itsupper cover 6 closed. FIG. 2B illustrates the color printer 1 with itsupper cover 6 open.

Referring to FIG. 2A, an outline of a printing path of the sheet 3 as arecording medium will be described below.

The sheet feed cassette 19 includes a sheet feed tray 10 and a sheetsupply roller 11. In FIG. 2A, a sheet 3 is fed to an image formingportion 15 from the sheet feed tray 10 by the sheet supply roller 11. Atthe image forming portion 15, the sheet 3 is placed on a conveyor belt14, which is wound around conveyor rollers 12, 13, and is conveyed byrotation of the conveyor belt 14. While the sheet 3 is being conveyed bythe conveyor belt 14, a plurality of developing agent images aretransferred onto the sheet 3 by process units 16M, 16C, 16Y, 16BK, whichare provided and aligned by color. Then, at a fixing portion 17, thedeveloped images transferred onto the sheet 3 are thermally fixedthereon. The sheet 3 passed through the fixing portion 17 is thendischarged onto the sheet discharge tray 9 by a sheet discharge roller18.

In a state of FIG. 2A, the discharge direction of the sheet 3 to bedischarged onto the sheet discharge tray 9 is the same as the dischargedirection of the document to be discharged onto the document dischargetray 22. Therefore, the sheet 3 and the document can be taken out of therespective discharge trays 9, 22 from the same side of the body casing2, so that user operability can be increased.

In addition, as described above, the sheet feed cassette 19 can beattached to and detached from the body casing 2 from the same side asthe sheet discharge direction in the sheet discharge tray 9.Accordingly, the user operability can be further improved.

In a state of FIG. 2B, the printed sheets 3 are supported by thedocument reading portion 23 and the document discharge tray 22 of theautomatic document reader 20, so that the sheets 3 do not fall from thesheet discharge tray 9. In addition, the upper cover 6 is rotated to aposition where the upper cover 6 extends substantially in a uprightdirection, so that a replenishing or replacing of developing agent forthe process units 16M, 16C, 16Y, 16BK disposed under the upper cover 6can be easily performed. The upper cover 6 is rotated upward from theside near to the user. Accordingly, the user can easily access andoperate the image forming portion 15 in the body casing 2 withoutobstacles, such as the automatic document reader 20, by opening theupper cover 6. Thus, as well as the replenishing or replacing ofdeveloping agent, maintenance can be easily and speedily performed whilepreventing the fall of a sheet caused by the opening of the upper cover6, even when the sheet is placed on the sheet discharge tray 9.

A second exemplary embodiment of the disclosure will be described withreference to FIGS. 3A to 4B. The same parts or portions are designatedby the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 2A and 2B, andexplanations for those parts or portions will be omitted.

In FIG. 3A, the document reading portion 23 of the second exemplaryembodiment can rotate about a fixed shaft 24 by a predetermined angle ina direction which the document reading portion 23 moves away from theupper cover 6. A guide slot 26 is provided at at least one side (theleft side of the color printer 1) of the upper cover 6 so as to extendalong the upper cover 6. The guide slot 26 is an elongated hole thatlinearly extends substantially in parallel with the upper cover 6 whenthe upper cover 6 is closed.

A cover arm 25, which is a substantially straight member, is provided onthe printing device 4 side. The cover arm 25 has an cover arm hinge 25 aat one end and a cover arm roller 25 b at another end. The cover armhinge 25 a is fixed to the body casing 2 of the printing device 4. Thecover arm roller 25 b is engaged with the guide slot 26 and can slidealong the guide slot 26. The cover arm 25 rotates about the cover armhinge 25 a. In accordance with the rotation of the cover arm 25, thecover arm roller 25 b slides in the front and back directions in theguide slot 26.

As shown in FIG. 3A, a guide arm 27, which is a substantially straightmember, is provided on the automatic document reader 20 side. The guidearm 27 has a guide arm hinge 27 a at one end and a guide arm roller 27 bat another end. The guide arm hinge 27 a is fixed to the automaticdocument reader 20. The guide arm roller 27 b is engaged with the guideslot 26 and can slide along the guide slot 26. Therefore, the guide arm27 rotates about the guide arm hinge 27 a. In accordance with rotationof the guide arm 27, the guide arm roller 27 b slides along the guideslot 26.

As shown in FIG. 3B, in the state where the upper cover 6 of theprinting device 4 is closed, the automatic document reader 20 can berotated (open) upward by a predetermined angle. Accordingly, the printedsheets 3 placed on the sheet discharge tray 9 can be easily removedtherefrom. In particular, the removal of a small-sized sheet 3 therefromis easier to perform. The guide slot 26 is provided with a clickresistance applying device that slightly applies a click resistance tothe guide arm roller 27 b when the guide arm roller 27 b is located at aposition shown in FIG. 4B. The automatic document reader 20 can betemporarily retained at an upright position of FIG. 4B. By sliding theguide arm roller 27 b by a force stronger than the click resistance, theretainment of the automatic document reader 20 can be easily released.

When the upper cover 6 is further rotated upward (in a directionindicated by an arrow U in FIG. 4A) from the state of FIG. 3B, the coverarm roller 25 b of the cover arm 25 slides in a direction toward thecover shaft 8 along the guide slot 26 as shown in FIG. 4A. When thecover arm roller 25 b of the cover arm 25 abuts against the guide armroller 27 b of the guide arm 27 in the guide slot 26, the cover armroller 25 b pushes and slides the guide arm roller 27 b toward the covershaft 8 along the guide slot 26.

When the guide arm roller 27 b slides toward the cover shaft 8 along theguide slot 26, the guide arm 27 rotates about the guide arm hinge 27 a.The rotating direction of the guide arm 27 is a direction which theautomatic document reader 20, which is in the state shown in FIG. 4A, isrotated toward the upper cover 6. That is, in conjunction with theopening of the upper cover 6 in the state where the automatic documentreader 20 is upwardly rotated (opened), the automatic document reader 20moves to a proximity position with respect to the sheet discharge tray9. That is, the automatic document reader 20 is automatically rotateddownward (closed) as the upper cover 6 opens. Then, the tip 22 a of thedocument discharge tray 22 is brought closer to the upper surface of theupper cover 6.

As described above, when the upper cover 6 is upwardly open as shown inFIG. 4B, the cover arm roller 25 b of the cover arm 25 pushes and slidesthe guide arm roller 27 b of the guide arm 27 to the end of the guideslot 26 on the cover shaft 8 side. Therefore, the guide arm 27 rotatesabout the guide arm hinge 27 a, so that the tip 22 a of the documentdischarge tray 22 of the automatic document reader 20 is located at thenearest position with respect to the upper cover 6.

As a result, in the state of FIG. 4B, the sheet 3 is supported by thedocument reading portion 23 and the document discharge tray 22 of theautomatic document reader 20, so that the sheet 3 does not fall from thesheet discharge tray 9.

When the upper cover 6, which is upwardly rotated as shown in FIG. 4B,is rotated downward about the cover shaft 8 to be closed, the cover arm25 and the guide arm 27 slide in the direction reverse to the directionwhen the upper cover 6 is opened. Thus, the upper cover 6 can bereturned to the state of FIG. 3A.

In the second exemplary embodiment, the cover arm 25, the guide slot 26and the guide arm 27 are provided at the left end of the upper cover 6.However, the cover arm 25, the guide slot 26 and the guide arm 27 may beprovided at both right and left ends of the upper cover 6.

Next, a third exemplary embodiment of the disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 5A to 6B. The same parts or portions aredesignated by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 2A and 2B,and explanations for those parts or portions will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5A, a substantially straight lever 31 is provided on atleast one side (a left side in the third exemplary embodiment) of thebody casing 2 of the printing device 4. The lever 31 has a lever hinge31 a at a substantially center portion of the lever 31 in itslongitudinal direction. The lever hinge 31 a is fixed to the body casing2 of the printing device 4. Therefore, the lever 31 can swing in the upand down directions about the lever hinge 31 a.

The lever 31 has a lever protrusion 31 b at one end and a lever cutawayportion 31 c at another end. A spring 32 is attached to the levercutaway portion 31 c so as to pull the lever cutaway portion 31 c of thelever 31 downward. With this structure, the lever protrusion 31 b of thelever 31 is urged upward about the lever hinge 31 a by the spring 32.

The document reading portion 23 of the automatic document reader 20 isprovided with a first notch 35 and a second notch 36 at same radialpositions about the fixed shaft 24 such that the first and secondnotches 35, 36 face the lever protrusion 31 b of the lever 31.

A damper gear 38 is provided so as to be rotatable about a shaft (notshown) fixed to the document reading portion 23 of the automaticdocument reader 20. The damper gear 38 is engaged with a side gear 37fixedly provided to the upper cover 6. The damper gear 38 moves aroundthe side gear 37 while itself rotating when the automatic documentreader 20 is opened and closed with respect to the upper cover 6. Thedamper gear 38 is provided with, for example, a damper material havingan appropriate viscosity, at its rotating portion. With this structure,the damper gear 38 exerts its damper effect to make its rotation slowwhen the damper gear 38 tries to suddenly rotate.

A guide spring 39 is provided between the document reading portion 23 ofthe automatic document 20 and the upper cover 6. An one end of the guidespring 39 is caught by a side hook 41 (FIG. 5B) provided to the documentreading portion 23 of the automatic document reader 20, and another endis caught by a cover hook 6 b (FIG. 5B) provided to the upper cover 6.With this structure, the guide spring 39 urges the document readingportion 23 of the automatic document reader 20 toward the upper cover 6.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the lever protrusion 31 b of the lever 31 isengaged with the second notch 36 in the state where the upper cover 6 isclosed.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the automatic document reader 20 can be upwardlyrotated by a predetermined angle against an urging force from the guidespring 39, from the state of FIG. 5A. Then, the document reading portion23 rotates counterclockwise about the fixing shaft 24, so that the firstnotch 35 is engaged with the lever protrusion 31 b of the lever 31.Therefore, a printed sheet 3 placed on the sheet discharge tray 9 can beeasily removed therefrom. In particular, the removal of a small-sizedsheet 3 therefrom is easier to perform.

Then, when the upper cover 6 is further rotated upward (in a directionindicated by an arrow U in FIG. 6A) from the state of FIG. 5B, the firstnotch 35 is disengaged from the lever protrusion 31 b of the lever 31 asshown in FIG. 6A. Thus, the automatic document reader 20, which islocated at the inclined position with respect to the upper cover 6 (FIG.6A) by the urging force from the guide spring 39, is rotated (closed)toward the upper cover 6. At that time, the side gear 37 and the dampergear 38 are engaged with each other, so that the damper effect is causedto restrict the sudden rotation of the damper gear 38. As a result, thesudden rotation (closing) of the automatic document reader 20 toward theupper cover 6 caused by the urging force from the guide spring 39 isprevented.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the upper cover 6 isopened upward, the tip 22 a of the document discharge tray 22 of theautomatic document reader 20 is located at the nearest position withrespect to the upper cover 6.

As a result, in the state shown in FIG. 6B, a printed sheet 3 issupported by the document reading portion 23 and the document dischargetray 22 of the automatic document reader 20, resulting in sheets notfalling from the sheet discharge tray 9.

When the upper cover 6, which is open upward as shown in FIG. 6B, isclosed by rotating about the cover shaft 8, the lever 31 and the sidegear 37 rotate in respective directions reverse to the directions whenthe upper cover 6 is opened. Finally, the upper cover 6 can be returnedto the state of FIG. 5A.

In the third exemplary embodiment, the lever 31, the side gear 37 andthe damper gear 38 are provided at the left end of the upper cover 6.However, the lever 31, the side gear 37 and the damper gear 38 may beprovided on both right and left ends of the upper cover 6 as necessary.

Next, a fourth exemplary embodiment of the disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 7A to 8B. The same parts or portions aredesignated by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 5A and 5B,and explanations for those parts or portions will be omitted. A colorprinter 1 of the fourth exemplary embodiment includes a lockingmechanism for the automatic document reader 20, based on the colorprinter 1 of the third exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7A, a hook 45 is provided on at least one side of theupper cover 6. The hook 45 has a substantially L-shape and includes as apawl portion 45 b at an end of one side. The hook 45 is provided so atto be rotatable about a hook hinge 45 a, wherein an end 45 c, which isopposite to the end having the pawl portion 45 b of the hook 45, isurged by a torsion spring 46 attached to the hook hinge 45 a so as torotate downwardly. In the state where the upper cover 6 is closed, anupper surface of the body casing 2 and an inner surface 6 c of the uppercover 6 are contacted with each other, so that the end 45 c of the hook45 is in contact with the upper surface of the body casing 2 against anurging force from the torsion spring 46.

The automatic document reader 20 opposite to the hook 45 has a boss 47at a position where the boss 47 can be engaged with the pawl portion 45b of the hook 45.

In the state where the upper cover 6 is closed, the pawl portion 45 b ofthe hook 45 is not in engagement with the boss 47 as shown in FIG. 7A.

As shown in FIG. 7B, from the state of FIG. 7A, the automatic documentreader 20 can be rotated or opened upward by a predetermined angleagainst the urging force from the guide spring 39. Therefore, a printedsheet 3 placed on the sheet discharge tray 9 can be easily removedtherefrom. In particular, the removal of a small-sized sheet 3 therefromis easier to perform. In this state, the upper cover 6 is closed, sothat the pawl portion 45 b of the hook 45 is not in engagement with theboss 47.

When the upper cover 6 is further rotated upward (in a directionindicated by an arrow U in FIG. 8A) from the state of FIG. 7B, the firstnotch 35 of the side gear 37 is disengaged from the lever protrusion 31b of the lever 31. Then, the automatic document reader 20, which islocated at the inclined position with respect to the upper cover 6 bythe urging force from the guide spring 39, is rotated (closed) towardthe upper cover 6. Therefore, the end 45 c is separated from the uppersurface of the body casing 2, so that the end 45 c of the hook 45rotates downwardly by the force from the torsion spring 46 and the pawlportion 45 b and the boss 47 can be engaged with each other.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the upper cover 6 isupwardly open, the pawl portion 45 b of the hook 45 is engaged with theboss 47 while the tip 22 a of the document discharge tray 22 of theautomatic document reader 20 is located at the nearest position withrespect to the upper cover 6. Thus, the automatic document reader 20 islocked in the closed position. Accordingly, the automatic documentreader 20 does not rotate (is not open) in the direction which theautomatic document reader 20 is separated from the upper cover 6, evenwhen the upper cover 6 is open. Accordingly, a printed sheet 3 isprevented from falling from the sheet discharge tray 9.

When the upper cover 6, located at the upright position shown in FIG.8B, is rotated about the cover shaft 8 to be closed, the pawl portion 45b of the hook 45 is disengaged from the boss 47, and the upper cover 6is finally returned to the state of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 9 represents a shape of the document discharge tray 22. Thedocument discharge tray 22 has a U-shaped cutaway portion 22 b openingtoward the document discharging direction. The document discharge tray22 may have a V-shaped cutaway portion. With this shape, any-sizeddocument placed on the document discharge tray 9 provided to the uppercover 6 can be easily removed therefrom through the U-shaped or V-shapedcutaway portion even when the automatic document feeder 20 is closed. Inaddition, a printed sheet 3 placed on the sheet discharge tray 9 can besurely support by the document discharge tray 22 even when the uppercover 6 is open.

In the first to fourth exemplary embodiments described above, the colorprinter 1 does not require a special sheet drop preventive mechanism tobe separately equipped because the fall of the printed sheets 3 isprevented by the document reading portion 23 and the document dischargetray 22. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the color printer 1 is notincreased.

The document reading portion 23 and the document discharge tray 22 ofthe automatic document reader 20 function as a recording medium supportdevice. The cover arm 25, the guide slot 26 and guide arm 27 of thesecond exemplary embodiment, and the lever 21, the side gear 37 and theguide spring 39 of the third exemplary embodiment function as aninterlock mechanism. The hook 45, the torsion spring 45 and the boss 47of the fourth exemplary embodiment function as a locking mechanism.

In the first to fourth exemplary embodiments described above, a portionof the sheet discharge tray 9 that holds sheets 3 is located below aportion of the document reading portion 23 that contacts the upper cover6. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the sheet discharge tray 9 can belocated to the right of the portion of the document reading portion 23that contacts the upper cover 6. Furthermore, a thicker upper cover 6can be provided such that the sheet discharge tray 9 does not protrudebelow a flat portion of the upper cover 6.

While the disclosure has been described in detail with reference to thespecific exemplary embodiments thereof, it would be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various changes, arrangements and modificationsmay be applied therein without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe disclosure.

According to exemplary aspect of the disclosure, the printed recordingmedium placed on the discharge tray is supported by the automaticdocument feeder, so that the printed recording medium does not fall fromthe discharge tray. In addition, any other special recording mediumsupport device other than the automatic document reader is provided, sothat a parts count and a manufacturing cost of the image formingapparatus are not increased. Further, the structure of the image formingapparatus does not become complicated due to the provision of therecording medium support device for supporting a recording medium placedon the recording medium discharge tray to prevent the recording mediumfrom falling therefrom.

According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, a printed recordingmedium placed on the discharge tray provided under the automaticdocument reader can be easily removed therefrom. In particular, when theautomatic document reader is upwardly rotated to open, a small-sizedrecording medium placed on the discharge tray provided under theautomatic document reader can be easily removed therefrom.

According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, a printed recordingmedium placed on the discharge tray can be surely prevented from fallingtherefrom by employing at least one of the document reading portion andthe document discharge tray of the automatic document reader.

According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, the cover member isupwardly rotated to the substantially upright position, so that thecheck, maintenance and replacement of the image forming device, forexample, a process unit, disposed under the cover member can be easilyperformed.

According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, by the provision ofthe interlock mechanism, the automatic document reader can be moved tothe position near the discharge tray in conjunction with the opening ofthe cover member. Accordingly, it is unnecessary to perform an operationto return the automatic document reader to the near position in advancebefore the cover member is rotated upward to be open. In addition, itcan be prevented that the cover member is opened with the automaticdocument reader returned to the near position.

According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, the automaticdocument reader is locked so as not to rotate while positioned at thenearest position with respect to the discharge tray when the covermember is located at the substantially upright position. Therefore, theautomatic document reader can be prevented from rotating accidentally.

According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, even when theautomatic document reader is in the closed state, a printed recordingmedium placed on the discharge tray can be easily removed therefromthrough the U- or V-shaped cutaway portion which is open toward thedocument discharge direction in the document discharge tray. Inaddition, the recording medium placed on the discharge tray can besurely supported when the cover member is open.

According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, the recording mediumdischarge direction and the document discharge direction are the same.Therefore, the printed recording medium and the document can be removedfrom the respective discharge trays from the same side of the bodycasing. Thus, user operability is increased.

According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, the recording mediumcassette can be also attached to and detached from the body casing fromthe same side of the body casing, so that the user operability isfurther increased.

According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, in the image formingapparatus including the so-called tandem color printer and the automaticdocument feeder, by opening the cover member, a user can easily accessor operate the image forming device in the body casing without beinginterfered with the automatic document reader. Accordingly, thereplenishment of developing agent and replacement of the image formingdevice can be easily performed. In addition, even when a printedrecording medium is placed on the discharge tray, the fall of therecording medium caused by the opening of the cover member is prevented,so that the maintenance can be easily and speedily performed.

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a printing device, theprinting device comprising: an upper cover member provided at a top ofthe printing device and configured to rotate upward relative to theprinting device, the upper cover member including a discharge tray onwhich a printed sheet is placed; and a document reader that includes adocument reading portion, wherein the document reader is provided on acover top face of the upper cover member such that the document readeris over the discharge tray and the printing device when the upper covermember is closed, and the document reader rotates upward as the uppercover member rotates upward.
 2. The image forming apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the printing device further comprising: a plurality ofprocess units provided under the upper cover member when the upper covermember is closed.
 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the document reader integrally rotates with the upper covermember when the upper cover member rotates.
 4. The image formingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document reader is capableof rotating within a range of predetermined angles in a direction inwhich the document reader approaches and separates from the dischargetray, while the upper cover member is closed.
 5. The image formingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document reader includes: adocument feed tray that feeds at least a document; a document dischargetray that supports an already-read document; and a document readingportion that is provided between the document feed tray and the documentdischarge tray to read the document, wherein at least one of thedocument discharge tray and the document reading portion functions as asupport device.
 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the upper cover member is capable of rotating to a positionwhere the upper cover member extends substantially in an upright manner.7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprisingan interlock mechanism that moves the document reader to a positionadjacent the discharge tray in conjunction with an opening of the uppercover member.
 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,wherein: the upper cover member is rotatable to a position where theupper cover member extends substantially in an upright manner, and theimage forming apparatus further comprises a locking mechanism that locksthe document reader so as not to rotate relative to the upper covermember, while the document reader is positioned at a position nearest tothe discharge tray when the upper cover member is rotated to thesubstantially upright manner.
 9. The image forming apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein a direction to discharge the printed sheet onto thedischarge tray is the same as a direction where the document readerdischarges an already-read document.
 10. The image forming apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a sheet cassette that isprovided below the upper cover member and feeds sheets to an imageforming device, wherein a direction to discharge the printed sheet ontothe discharge tray is the same as a direction to detach the sheetcassette.
 11. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a printing device,the printing device comprising: an upper cover member provided at a topof the printing device and configured to rotate upward relative to theprinting device, the upper cover member including a discharge tray onwhich a printed sheet is placed; and a document reader that includes adocument reading portion, wherein the document reader is provided on acover top face of the upper cover member such that the document readeris over the discharge tray and the printing device when the upper covermember is closed, and the printed sheet on the discharge tray issupported by the document reader when the upper cover member is rotatedto a position where the upper cover member extends substantially in anupright manner.
 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11,wherein the printing device further comprising: a plurality of processunits provided under the upper cover member when the upper cover memberis closed.
 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11,wherein the document reader integrally rotates with the upper covermember when the upper cover member rotates.
 14. The image formingapparatus according to claim 11, wherein the document reader is capableof rotating within a range of predetermined angles in a direction inwhich the document reader approaches and separates from the dischargetray, while the upper cover member is closed.
 15. The image formingapparatus according to claim 11, wherein the document reader includes: adocument feed tray that feeds at least a document; a document dischargetray that supports an already-read document; and a document readingportion that is provided between the document feed tray and the documentdischarge tray to read the document, wherein at least one of thedocument discharge tray and the document reading portion functions as asupport device.
 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11,wherein the document reader rotates upward as the upper cover memberrotates upward.
 17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11,further comprising an interlock mechanism that moves the document readerto a position adjacent the discharge tray in conjunction with an openingof the upper cover member.
 18. The image forming apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises alocking mechanism that locks the document reader so as not to rotaterelative to the upper cover member, while the document reader ispositioned at a position nearest to the discharge tray when the uppercover member is rotated to the substantially upright manner.
 19. Theimage forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a direction todischarge the printed sheet onto the discharge tray is the same as adirection where the document reader discharges an already-read document.20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, furthercomprising: a sheet cassette that is provided below the upper covermember and feeds sheets to an image forming device, wherein a directionto discharge the printed sheet onto the discharge tray is the same as adirection to detach the sheet cassette.